I've been hesitant to write any blogs about Australia without first filling you in on all the remaining stories from Malaysia, but I can wait no longer. So, in order to bring the first chapter of this journey to a close… I bring you a condensed account of the amazing blessings of last month!
I was treated to the privileged of teaching a small youth camp out of Pastor Thomas's home… We walked through the book of Ecclesiastes and sang songs together.
We put together a character building workshop for young children of local Muslim and Hindu families, complete with stories and games.
God SUUUUUUUPER blessed us when we traveled deep into the jungle and spent our night at a pit mine operated by Burmese men! They led worship & I have NO idea what they sang, but their voices were BEAUTIFUL and there was so much joy and life in their faces!!! There were 2 Hindu men who sat in on our teaching… our interpreter wasn't translating into Hindi, so the two men had no idea what we were saying, but God spoke to their hearts through our fellowship. At the end of our night, the Hindu men asked if our contact could get them a couple Bibles in their language because they want to know our God who transcends barriers like language and culture!!!
We traveled to an island called Langkawi for a 2 day mini retreat. Day 1 started with scooter rentals… we were on the road MAYBE 20 minutes before the scariest part of the trip so far. 2 of our girls crashed into a guardrail, but, PRAISE GOD, there were no serious injuries… just some stitches and a scooter repair bill.
Internally, God has been doing some serious work inside of me as well. Month 1 God worked to pull me out of my isolation and taught me a lot in learning to trust the people He's placed me with. It was kinda bumpy at first, and I'm sure there will be other bumpy spots down the road, but God's definitely already changing me… right from the get go.
It was tough saying good bye to Pastor Thomas & his family. I miss them more than seems normal having only spent 1 month with them. But we had to say good bye. We took a bus to Kuala Lumpur and spent the night there. The following morning we took another bus, this time to Singapore. After an afternoon in Singapore, we boarded a plane and headed to our current ministry… Darwin, Australia!
